NSF Intl. has certified the first gasket and sealing materials used with push-fit fittings to both the chloramine resistance and tensile strength performance requirements of ASSE 1061 and ASTM F2854.

Push-fit fittings are used to connect various pipes used in drinking water distribution systems that require the use of gasket materials to ensure a water-tight seal, such as cross-linked polyethylene, copper, chlorinated polyvinyl chloride or polyethylene of raised temperature resistance. Superior Seals’ EP 1/1/5 and EP 11/01/13 gasket and sealing materials are the first to earn NSF certification to the material requirements of both the ASSE 1061 and ASTM F2854 standards. The NSF certification provides push-fit fitting manufacturers with certified gaskets that have a demonstrated ability to resist degradation from chloramine-treated drinking water as well as validation of their tensile strength.

NSF maintains the only laboratory in North America capable of providing chloramine resistance testing. This is important as more than one in five Americans use drinking water treated with chloramine, a disinfectant that has been used by water utilities for almost 90 years, and drinking water distribution products, including push-fit fittings and their gaskets, must demonstrate their resistance to chloramine degradation. NSF engineers also performed the tensile strength testing requirements of ASTM F2854 to verify a minimum tensile strength.

Superior Seals’ EP 1/1/5 and EP 11/01/13 gasket and sealing materials also are certified to NSF/ANSI 61: Drinking Water System Components – Health Effects, including Annex G of NSF/ANSI 61. This standard verifies that these products do not leach harmful levels of contaminants into drinking water. Certification to Annex G verifies that the products have a weighted average of lead content of less than or equal to 0.25%, the same as required by federal legislation under the Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act, which will take effect in January 2014.

For earning certification, Superior Seals’ EP 1/1/5 and EP 11/01/13 gasket/sealing materials may now bear the NSF/ANSI 61, ASSE 1061 and ASTM F2854 marks, and appear on NSF’s online listings. To ensure ongoing compliance, NSF will conduct periodic testing and annual unannounced inspections to verify that production of these two products continues to comply with all requirements.